Tip News Daily Brief

Your Daily Brief

September 12th, 2023

Good morning, and happy Tuesday! To help you get a positive and productive jump start this morning, learn more about the importance of morning routines and their health benefits. It’s never too late to start integrating healthy habits and start your days the right way…especially when it includes an unbiased news update from the Tip News Team!

In Today’s Brief

Morroco: Death toll from quake climbs
FDA: Approves updated Covid boosters
Kevin Porter Jr.: Arrested for assault
Hostess: Twinkie maker secures buyer

...and more

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Top Tips

Google antitrust trial kicks off

Google will appear in court today against government officials who have accused the company's search engine of antitrust violations.

The trial beginning this week in Washington before a federal judge marks the culmination of two ongoing lawsuits against Google that started during the Trump administration. In its suit, first filed in 2020, the Justice Department accused Google of operating a monopoly in online search and using that monopoly power to limit competition, stifle innovation, and violate users' privacy. Google has maintained that it competes on the merits and that consumers prefer its tools because they are the best, not because it has moved to unlawfully restrict competition. The trial is expected to last around two months.

This will be the first antitrust trial that goes after a Big Tech company’s practices since the DOJ took on Microsoft in the 1990s. Google’s corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., is worth $1.7T and employs 182K people.

Widespread flooding in Libya

More than 2K people in Libya are feared dead or missing in flooding, according to Libyan officials, as Storm Daniel swept through the eastern part of the country.

Ahmed Mismari, the spokesperson for the Libyan National Army that controls eastern Libya, said in a televised news conference that the disaster came after dams above Derna had collapsed, "sweeping whole neighborhoods with their residents into the sea." He also said that said as many as 5K people may be missing. The confirmed death toll from the weekend flooding stood at 61 as of yesterday, according to health authorities. The tally did not include Derna, which had become inaccessible, and many of those missing there were believed to be carried away by waters.

Libya is politically divided between East and West, and public services have crumbled since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that prompted years of conflict. The internationally-recognized government in Tripoli does not control eastern areas.

Fire ants found in Europe

The red fire ant, one of the world’s most invasive species, has been found in Europe for the first time, according to a new study.

Researchers from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona, Spain announced they have identified 88 red fire ant nests spread over five hectares near the city of Syracuse in Sicily, Italy. The study suggested that wind could have transported flying queen ants from the northwest of Syracuse, where a commercial port is located. Genetic analysis of the ants revealed that they had most likely spread from the United States or China, where Solenopsis invicta is also an invasive species. According to the researchers, the ants could soon spread all over Europe, since 7% of the continent has a climate that’s suitable for the species.

Red fire ants are known to drive out native ants and other wildlife and damage electrical equipment. In the U.S., the species causes an estimated $6B in damage each year.

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Quick Tips

Around the Globe

The death toll from Morocco’s deadliest earthquake in more than six decades has climbed to more than 2.8K people; search teams from Spain, the United Kingdom, and Qatar have joined Moroccan rescue efforts to find survivors in the hardest hit areas (More)
Ethiopia has completed the final phase of filling a reservoir for its hydroelectric power plant on the Blue Nile River, prompting an outcry from Egypt, which has long opposed the megaproject as Egypt relies on the Nile for nearly all its water needs (More)
Caver Mark Dickey has been pulled to safety after being trapped in Turkey's third deepest cave for more than a week, rescuers say; more than 150 people were involved in efforts to Dickey after he fell ill in the Morca Cave on September 2nd (More)

On the Homefront

The Biden administration has issued a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer $6M in frozen Iranian money from South Korea to Qatar without fear of U.S. sanctions in order to clear the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran (More)
The FDA approved updated Covid boosters from Pfizer and Moderna yesterday; the shots, which the FDA claims target the XBB.1.5 subvariant, are expected to be available later this week, after the CDC signs off on them (More)
The search for Danelo Cavalcante has entered its 12th day, police continue to work to apprehend the fugitive who slipped through their perimeter this weekend; the reward for info leading to the convicted murderer’s capture has been raised to $25K (More)

Glitz & Games

In partnership with Dr. S Eyewear

Picketers gathered outside CBS Studios in New York yesterday to protest Drew Barrymore’s decision to bring back her daytime talk show amid the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes; The Drew Barrymore Show is set to return September 18th (More)
Jimmy Buffett’s Greatest Hits album entered the top 10 for the first time following his death at number four; the album Songs You Know by Heart: Jimmy Buffett’s Greatest Hit(s) has sold the equivalent of 52K albums in the latest tracking week per Luminate (More)
Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. was arrested and charged with assault and strangulation after an incident at a New York hotel yesterday, according to a police spokesperson (More)

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Business & Markets

Major indexes in the stock market closed higher for the second straight day, with the Nasdaq leading the gains (Dow +0.25%, Nasdaq +1.14%, S&P 500 +0.67%)
Hostess, the maker of Twinkies and Ho Hos, is being purchased by J.M. Smucker in a $5.6B deal, according to an announcement made by the two companies yesterday; Hostess has filed for chapter 11 twice since its founding, and Smucker has agreed to take on its roughly $900M in debt (More)
Charter Communications and Disney have reached an agreement, ending their nearly two-week blackout; since August 31st, nearly 15M Spectrum subscribers have not had access to Disney channels, including ESPN, after a breakdown in negotiations (More)

Tips & Tricks

Feel Good: Meet Sam Benchegjib, an inspired young adult in Indonesia who, along with his two siblings, has pulled over 2.6M pounds of trash from the nation’s rivers in just three years through his environmental organization Sungai Watch
Sneak Peek: Watch Awkwafina and Sandra Oh as a hilarious sister duo in the official trailer for Quiz Lady, an upcoming comedy film about dysfunctional siblings on a road trip to enter a game show, pay off a gambling debt, and rescue a dog…among other things
Bump This: The Rolling Stones’ new song “Angry” is being hailed by some as the band’s best new single in over four decades - listen on Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube and let us know what you think
Chow Down: If you’re open to trying a lasagna dish without the heavy noodles, try out this recipe for eggplant lasagna…and trust us when we tell you that you won’t miss the pasta
Go Deep: Learn about the iPhone’s upcoming switch to USB-C chargers, including how those chargers work…and how this looming change might affect the technology in the palm of your hand from now on
Hot Goss: English singer-songwriter Grimes confirmed that she and Elon Musk have welcomed a third child together, a newborn who they named Techno Mechanicus
Life Hack: If you feel like you eat your food way too quickly and end up feeling like you need to loosen a belt buckle after meals, you’re not alone - here are five tips to eat more mindfully, including putting down your phone, pacing yourself, and taking the time to notice the little things

Tip-Offs

See a pie chart of last year’s main global sources of electricity.

Read one woman’s account of road-tripping with an ice trucker.

Modern words & phrases that actually came from ancient times.

If you’re tired of city living, check out these 20 great suburbs.

A man uses his metal detector to find an ancient gold necklace.

…and a Star Wars model fighter from 1977 hits the auction block.

Reflect on what airport security was like prior to September 11th.

Meet California’s most wanted ocean bandit: a surfing sea otter.

Looking Back…

On September 12th: Astronaut Mae Jemison became the first African American woman to fly in space (1992); U.S. senator and future president John F. Kennedy marries Jacqueline Bouvier in Newport, Rhode Island (1953); the western TV series Bonanza premieres on NBC (1959); basketball player Yao Ming is born (1980).

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